Caprivi Houseboat Safari Lodge

Exactly what we expected! The accommodation, food and river cruise were exceedingly above our expectation!

As per the title, this is a review of a 2 night camping boat safari, NOT the guest house. It started and ended in Kasane (Botswana) and required us to cross into Namibia for the duration of the cruise on the Chobe river. The boat was small and basic but surprisingly well equipped - fridge, toilet, charger points, seating, table, sink & shower (though we didn't use the latter) and a roof top tent. It was also equipped with Ivan who steered the boat, spotted animals & birds from afar and cooked all our meals expertly on a fire on the (Namibian) bank where we camped both nights. He was excellent and looked after us very well. We saw crocodiles (at very close quarters!) and hippos aplenty - both much better seen from the river. Also lots of ellies crossing or coming down to drink, buffalos, baboons, a lioness, etc etc This is very different from the 3 storey houseboats and the small boat allows much more intimate animal encounters. It was also a lot cheaper, though still quite a lot of money (but I understand the logistics and fuel costs in coming all the way from Katima before/after our cruise). The catering was much better than we had expected (huge steaks, cooked breakfast, salads for lunch). All in all a great experience to complement self-drives in Chobe Riverfront.

We stayed 2 nights. The meals are delicious. Breakfast is fine too. Nice place to relax and load the battery for Botswana. Perfect spot for fishing if you want to. We certainly come again when we are around. Nice staff and host.

Our family enjoyed the atmosphere of the lodge. It had such a relaxing vibe, friendly staff, affordable activities, comfortable room and lounge with stunning views. We enjoyed tiger fishing on the Zambezi and Curt was an excellent bird guide, showing us all the local birds. We highly recommend the lodge, the rooms were a great experience, rustic, so cool sleeping in a reed tent kind of set up. Fabulous, we will be back.

Amazing situation on the Zambezi River, sadly let down by accommodation and food. General feeling of complacency and neglect by management/ owners, lack of attention to detail, dated furniture, grubby bathrooms. Chalets need a big overhaul … a repaint for a start , gaping holes in wooden flooring allowing anything in, mosquito nets were useless. Canvas window are ugly and a waste of time. Management wonder why they are not busy anymore? The stairway to the boat is really dangerous due to lack of railings, and staff were not there to assist to busy on their phones before evening boat ride.

We were only here for one night and it was a great stay. The facility is very lush and if you are a birder, you will find lots of species around the ground and along the river. We did the river ride and it was lovely. Dinner was a wonderful feast and topped off with a fantastic crème caramel. The beds are comfy and they provide peaceful sleep for mosquitoes. We loved having the front of the cabin open and sleeping under the mosquito net. Be sure to verify that the hot water is turned on. We failed to do that and the cold morning shower was quite a wake up.

Excellent stay with very friendly and helpful staff. Setting is perfect. Good, honest food, nothing fancy, but tasty and enjoyable. Boat guide was very knowledgeable and went out of his way to point out birds endemic to the area. We were also impressed with Curt's concern for the environment and the rehabilitation of snakes that he undertakes.

Thank you Curt for an amazing stay and great birding. The location and stay was wonderful. The pillows and beds were the most comfortable out of our 3 week stay in Namibia. Highly recommended and thanks for the amazing memories.

Achtung! Die Fotos in Tripadvisor, Google, usw. sind zum Teil irreführend und auf jeden Fall sehr alt. Inzwischen ist es ein trostloser Ort. Die Zelte sind klein, sehr dunkel und die Aussicht auf den Fluss ist schlicht zugewachsen. Es gab keine Aktivitäten, wir waren uns selbst überlassen. Der Empfang durch das Servicepersonal war sehr freundlich. Von den Besitzern (Host) fühlten wir uns eher als zahlende, aber auch lästige Kunden behandelt. Das Essen war schmackhaft und gut zubereitet, aber ziemlich einfach und schmal gehalten. Insgesamt macht dike Lodge einen abgewirtschafteten Eindruck und bedarf einer dringenden, umfassenden Renovierung. Die Hunde des Besitzers waren gut erzogen und niedlich.